The Deciding Factor

Mr White,Via Darjeeling and more recently,Force. Yet,television has always remained close to her heart. After all,she established her career as an actor with shows such as Swabhimaan and Banegi Apni Baat.

“I’ve seen how powerful a medium it is. But it was crammed with saas-bahu serials and then reality shows followed. I did

Jhalak Dikhla Jaa because I wanted to dance. But then I got bombarded with reality show offers and I had to say no,” she says. Particular about the work she does,the spunky actress agreed to host My Big Decision because it is content-driven. “The show deals with pertinent issues that affect the society,” she says.

A unique format in India,My Big Decision traces the lives of 14 young contestants as each one attempts to arrive at a big decision,which ranges from establishing sexual orientation to going for liposuction. “Little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So many youngsters out there are uninformed and don’t know who will be able to guide them. We aid their decision-making journey. We help them meet experts so they can make an informed decision,” she explains.

While it was not easy to get people who are willing to talk about such personal issues,Mridul’s bigger challenge lay in holding back her own opinion while the youngsters weighed the issue. “When liposuction was being discussed,I wanted to say ‘don’t do it’,but I learnt to reserve my opinion and listen,” she says.

At the moment,she isn’t working on any new Bollywood project. “I don’t mind doing supporting roles but substance is important. I’m not crazy about being in a frame. After Page 3,I was thrown into a space; there was a pressure to keep signing films to keep my market value going but I can’t just look pretty and be seen throughout a film,” she asserts. For her,responsibility as an actor is important. Her play August: Osage County gives her that.